Press for dovetailed tiles.



No. 674,035. Patented May I4, l90.

- W. P, MEEKER.

PRESS FUR DOVETAILED TILES.

(Application filed Sept. 20, 1899.) (N0 MOGL) 2.Sheets-Sheet l.

@lill ai l Qf/nv'enor.

No. 674,035. Patented May I4, |90I.

w. P. MEEKER.. PRESS FR'DOVETAILED TILES.

(Applicgu'on mea sept'. 2o, 1 S99.) (N u H o d B I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITE STATES PATENT OEEICE.

VILLIAM P. MEEKER, OF NEl/VARK, NFV JERSEY.

PRESS FOR DOVETAILED TILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674.035, dated May 14, 1901 Application filed September Z0l 1899. serial No. 731,070. (No model.)

To rtl/ 7071/0717, t 712,/1/ 7/ concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. MEEKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, county of Essex, State of New/Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Presses for Dovetailed Tiles, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of the present invention is to furnish au improved means of forming undercutgrooves in the flat side of a tile whereby the tile may be adapted to engage more rrnly the cement by which it is secured in place. The undercut grooves are in the present invention extended all the way across the tile from one edge to the other, so as to engage the cement as extensively as possible.

A machine embodying my invention is shown in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure lis an end elevation of the machine, with the bed-plate in section, on line l l in Fig. 5. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section on line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine with the mold in position and the dovetail slide and tile-carrier arranged in readiness for molding a tile. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on line 4 4L in Fig. 3, with the dovetail slide retracted, the bed-plate lowered from the mold, and the tile-carrier retracted to remove the tile. Fig. 5 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 4, with the mold removed and the tile indicated upon the carrier in dot-ted lines. Fig. 6 is a plan of the machine, showing hand-levers to retract the dovetail slide and tile carrier and the tile carrier retracted,with the tile indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the machine shown in Fig. 6, with the dovetail slide retracted and packing-blocks fitted upon the dovetails. Fig. 8 is an end view of the mold and bed-plate, showing the packing-blocks and the notches in the mold to receive the same. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a tile with double-edged dovetail grooves. Fig. 10 is a bottom View of a tile with single-edged dovetail grooves, and Fig. l] is an end view of the same. Fig. l2 is an end View of a slide with single-edged dovetail ribs to form such last-mentioned grooves in the tile.

The machine is represented with base a and side plates a', having vertical grooves b upon the inner sides. The side plates are formed with ledges c to support a removable mold d to adapt the machine for molding tiles of different sizes. The bed-plate c, which forms the bottom of the mold, is movable vertically by means of guides e in the grooves b and can be retracted from the bottom of the mold to remove the tile by means of togglelinks f, operated by handle g. In Fig. 2 the bedplate is shown extended at the left side of the mold and formed with longitudinal recess h to receive the dovetail slide t', having handle j. Upon the slide t' the dovetail ribs k are secured and are shaped to form double-edged grooves in the bottom of the tile.

The edges of the mold are formed with notches to lit the dovetail ribs, so that the edges of the tile may be supported when the ribs are retracted. The ribs are shown tapered lengthwise in Figs. 3 and 5, which facilitates their release from the notches in the mold. Zdesignates a plunger, which is shown diagrammatically to represent any suitable means for pressing the material in the mold to form the tile m. The slide and the dove tail ribs are moved beneath the mold, as shown in Fig. 2, and the material is inserted in the mold and pressed by the plunger. When the tile is shaped, the slide is drawn longitudinally from beneath the mold in the direction of the arrow n in Fig. 2, which draws the ribs entirely from the tile and from the edges of the mold. The bed-plate e may then be lowered, as shown in Fig. 4, by actuating the toggle f, as represented by the dotted lines f and g in Fig. 2, which drops the tile from the mold and permits its removal from the bed-plate. To facilitate its removal, a tilecarrierp may be fitted to move longitudinally upon the bed-plate and is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 with side bars, which support that portion of the tile beyond the edges of the dovetail slide c'. Such tile-carrier is shown in Fig. 4:.retracted to remove the tile m from beneath the mold. Handles j j are shown upon the dovetail slide and the tile-carrier in Figs. 3, 4, and 5; but where the ribs offer much resistance to retraction hand-levers may be pivoted upon the bed-plate to actuate these parts, as shown at o in Fig. 6. Figs. 7 and 8 show the front edge of the mold formed with notches 104, materially larger than the dovetail ribs,

IOO

and the ribs provided with packing-blocks r, adapted toy fit such notches, by which construction the bed-plate can be lowered, as shown in Fig. 7, as soon as the inner end of the dovetail rib is drawn from thematerial of the tile-that is, Hush with the inner wall of the mold. With this construction the packing-blocks r rest upon the dovetails beneath the notches lo, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and fit into the same when the bed-plate is raised for molding the tile. To center the blocks in the side of the mold, so as to hold them flush with its inner wall, the blocks may be formed with grooves s upon their opposite edges and the notches 7a4 formed with ribs or projections t to engage such grooves. Such engagement is clearly shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 shows the extension of the doubleedged dovetail grooves m' across the entire face of the tile as formed by the double-dovetail ribs la. (Shown upon the slide in Fig. l.) Such doubleedged grooves serve to engage the cement upon four lines across the entire width of the tile; but Figs. l0 and 12 show the application of the invention for making single-edged grooves all the way across the face of the tile. To produce such grooves, the slide a, (shown in Fig. l2) is formed with I single-edged dovetails 7c', which produce the single-edged grooves m2 in Figs. IO and ll, which lock the tile upon the cement along two lines only.

From the above description it will be observed that the mold is stationary when in use, although it is supported upon ledges c, so that it can be exchanged and tiles of different sizes thus molded in the same machine, and the bed-plate at the bottom of the mold is therefore made movable to drop the tile downwardly when completed and the ribs withdrawn from the grooves therein. The Withdrawal of the ribs from the material of the tile before the latter is moved at all within the mold produces a more perfect product, as the ends of the grooves in the tile are supported in their initial position while the ribs are withdrawn, and I have therefore made a special claim to this construction.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is l. In a tile-press, the combination, with a mold, of a bed-plate extended at one side of the mold and provided with a longitudinal recess, a slide fitted to such recess in the bedplate and adapted to extend beneath the mold when forming the tile, dovetail ribs upon the slide, and apertures in the edge of the mold to permit the retraction of the ribs with the slide.

2. In a tile-press, the combination, with a mold, of a bed-plate extended at one side of the mold and provided with a longitudinal recess, a slide fitted to such recess in the bedplate and adapted to extend beneath the mold when forming the tile, dovetail'ribs upon the slide, anda hand-lever for shifting the slide to withdraw the ribs from the tile when molded.

3. In a tile-press, the combination, with a mold, of a bed-plate extended at one side of the mold and provided with a longitudinal recess, a slide tted to such recess in the bedplate and adapted to extend beneath the mold when forming the tile, dovetail ribs upon the slide, apertures formed in the side of the mold above such ribs, and blocks fitted detachably to the ribs and to the apertures, to pack the junction of the ribs with the mold, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM P. MEEKER.

Witnesses:

L. LEE, THOMAS S. CRANE. 

